


eunhae | merry christmas

by plincess_cho (ai_hao)



Category: Super Junior
Genre: Author: Ai, Changkyu appearing like always, Gen, also drunk like always, non-au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 00:01:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8918713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ai_hao/pseuds/plincess_cho
Summary: Donghae celebrates with his favorite Christmas present.





	

It’s the wee hours of Christmas morning, and Donghae is wide awake. He’s back in their old dorm, sitting by the windows and watching the snow fall. He hears Kyuhyun snoring from his room down the hall where he and Changmin sleep off an evening of wine. Donghae knows he should be asleep, but he can never sleep the night before Christmas. As a child, he’d always stayed up as late as he could waiting for Santa to arrive. He would sit right in front of the plate of milk and cookies and wait, but somehow he would always fall asleep before Santa came. (He of course learns later that his parents are responsible for the presents that appeared under the Christmas tree, but a tiny part of him still wants to believe that Santa is real.)

Usually, he spends the night before Christmas bouncing around the dorm setting up decorations on every square inch of space. The hyungs will wake up to find a virtual Christmas wonderland in their living room, not to mention the creepy elf figurine Donghae keeps moving around the dorm.

“It looks like Christmas threw up in here,” Heechul will always grouse, but Donghae will find one of the cats walking around with a Christmas bow as a collar.

Tonight, however, is different, Donghae hadn’t had time to collect Christmas decorations like he usually does, and this year’s decor consists of a small tree that Kyuhyun had informed him was actually just a potted shrub and some tinsel he’d found at a 7-Eleven. It’s a meager supply, but Donghae doesn’t mind. He’ll do everything up big next year, when he’s back from the army.

No tonight, Donghae sits quietly by the window and tries not to disturb the boy sleeping with his head in Donghae’s lap.

_Hyukjae._

Donghae still couldn’t believe it. He’d been eating dinner with his mother and brother when the doorbell had rung. Donghwa had gotten up to answer it only to call back, “Donghae! Your Christmas present has arrived!”

And sure enough, there had been Hyukjae standing there with a ludicrous looking bow perched on top of his shaved head.

“Merry Christmas, pabo,” Hyukjae had said, grinning like a cheshire cat. 

Donghae had smacked him before pulling him into his arms.

They’d debated for awhile on where they wanted to go. Donghae had initially suggested walking down by the river, but Hyukjae had vetoed that decision. “I’ve done enough frigid marches to last me a lifetime,” he’d said. 

They’d gone to the movies instead. It had been some dumb action flick with lots of good CGI and somewhat terrible popcorn. They’d miraculously escaped without being recognized and decided after some late night ramen to wander over to the dorms. Thankfully, Kyuhyun had been home and let them in. He and Changmin were already quite inebriated and had wandered off to Kyuhyun’s room to pass out within an hour. So Donghae and Hyukjae had sat down by the windows to watch the snow fall and talk about life.

“It’s weird,” Hyukjae says. “I feel like I’ve spent my whole life with you so to think that there have been moments where you weren’t there… It’s unfathomable.” What he doesn’t say is _I wish that I’d enlisted with you_ , but Donghae hears it in the wistful tone of his voice.

They talk about enlistment, about the other members, about their plans for when they return. They talk about their families, about their uniforms, but they keep coming back to one thing: how much they miss each other.

“It’s just not the same,” Donghae says. “I like being with Siwon and Changmin but it’s just not the same as being with you.”

Hyukjae doesn’t mention that without Shindong and Sungmin, active duty is going to be a lot more lonely. He doesn’t want Donghae to worry, but Donghae will anyway.

Somewhere around 3am, Hyukjae head drops onto Donghae’s shoulder, and Donghae realizes he’s asleep. Donghae reaches over to turn off the Christmas music that had been playing on his iPod, not that it would’ve woken Hyukjae up anyways. After years of being an idol, one learns to sleep in any situation.

And in those few moments, when the world and his best friend are fast asleep, Donghae feels more at home than he’s been in a long time. The pressure of Hyukjae’s cheek against his shoulder feels like the most comforting thing in the world, and for Donghae, that’s the best Christmas present he could have asked for.

*

Donghae falls asleep some time later, and he wakes up with his nose nuzzled into Hyukjae’s collarbones and his arms holding him tightly. He realizes someone had laid a blanket over them at some point during the night, and suspects Changmin is responsible. Hyukjae is still dead to the world, and Donghae lets him sleep for a few minutes more. For now, he’s just content to cuddle close to his best friend and forget about all the days they’ve spent apart.

Finally, Hyukjae returns to the land of the living and blinks his eyes open. “Hey,” he mumbles.

“Hey yourself,” Donghae replies. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas to you,” Hyukjae replies. “Wait,” he says sitting up suddenly, “It’s _actually_ Christmas!”

“Yes!” Donghae exclaims. “It actually is!”

“Merry Christmas!” they yell at the same time. Donghae pulls Hyukjae to his feet and they start dancing around the dorm room singing Christmas carols at the top of their lungs. Donghae finds a Santa hat lying about and pushes it onto Hyukjae’s head as they continue their gallivanting.

It’s not until a _very_ hungover Changmin stumbles into the kitchen that they finally quiet down. Kyuhyun stumbles out of his room a few minutes later looking equally dazed, and Hyukjae and Donghae decide maybe it’s time to take their Christmas celebrations elsewhere. They bundle back up in their winter gear, grab the potted shrub, and head for the door.

“Merry Christmas!” Hyukjae calls over his shoulder at the other two before shutting the door quickly. He and Donghae snicker their way down the hallway and out the front door.

“C’mon, let’s go see your mom,” Donghae says. “She misses me.”

Hyukjae just laughs and lets Donghae drag him down the street to find a taxi stop. The temperature had dropped overnight, and neither had brought appropriate clothing for the frigid temperatures. They wander for blocks before finally finding a taxi to take them across town.

Donghae can’t help but grin like an idiot the entire time. They might be wandering around the middle of Seoul carrying a potted plant and freezing their fingers off, but Donghae decides there’s no better way to celebrate Christmas.


End file.
